1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to furnace and air conditioner systems, and more particularly to devices for monitoring the status of furnace and air conditioner systems which may also include refrigeration systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to the heating and cooling of the interior spaces of residential and commercial buildings, and the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,475,750; 3,636,540; 4,801,922; 4,864,283; and Des. 275,842. More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 3,475,750 appears to disclose a temperature monitoring system which sequentially monitors the temperature in a plurality of different locations and provides an alarm if the temperature at one of the monitored locations is out of specifications. This system does not monitor the proper functioning of the heating or cooling system. It only monitors the temperatures of the living spaces heated or cooled thereby. In this respect, it would be desirable if a device combined with a heating and cooling system were provided which monitored the proper functioning of the heating or cooling system.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,636,540 discloses a temperature control and alarm system that includes a sensor that is placed in direct contact with a furnace and that directly monitors the temperature of the furnace. The device provides an alarm when the temperature of the furnace is out of specifications. In a building that is not originally provided with a furnace having this temperature control and alarm system, to retrofit the building with this system, it would be quite a difficult task to run a wire from a room in which the thermostat for controlling the furnace is located and to attach a temperature to the furnace. In this respect, it would be desirable if a device combined with a heating and cooling system were provided which enabled monitoring of proper functioning of the heating and cooling system without connecting a sensor to a furnace and without running a new wire to the furnace.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,922 discloses a low temperature alarm which is triggered when the temperature measured at a particular location is out of prescribed specifications. This device does not monitor proper functioning of the heating and cooling system. When environmental factors are extreme, such as extreme cold weather or extreme hot weather, this alarm could be triggered even when the heating and cooling system is operating properly. In this respect, it would be desirable if a device combined with a heating and cooling system were provided which did not trigger an alarm merely as a result of extremely cold or extremely hot weather.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,283 discloses a temperature alarm that has its own dedicated thermostat for controlling the alarm. This device does not employ the in place thermostat that is present in the heating and cooling system. This system requires the added expense of using an additional thermostat. Furthermore, it does not monitor the functioning of the heating and cooling system. In this respect, it would be desirable if a device combined with a heating and cooling system were provided which used the thermostat in place in the heating and cooling system and does not need an additional thermostat.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 275,842 discloses another temperature level alarm that merely monitors the temperature of an interior space. It does not monitor the functioning of the heating and cooling system.
Furnaces and air conditioner seldom fail, but if they do, the results can be extremely undesirable. A failed heating system can cause the temperature in a building to fall to unsafe levels. A failed air conditioner can cause the temperature in the building to rise to unsafe levels. Any equipment that is designed to operate in a predetermined temperature range may not operate properly in the event of furnace or air conditioner failure. These facts provide additional reasons for monitoring the proper functioning of the heating or cooling system. When the heating or cooling system is not operating properly, then an alarm should indicate this failure in proper function. In this respect, it would be desirable if a device combined with a heating and cooling system provides an alarm when the heating or cooling system were not functioning properly.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use alarms to indicate temperatures outside a specified range, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a furnace and air conditioner failure alarm apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) monitors the proper functioning of the heating or cooling system; (2) enables monitoring of proper functioning of the heating and cooling system without connecting a sensor to a furnace and without running a new wire to the furnace; (3) does not trigger an alarm merely as a result of extremely cold or extremely hot weather; (4) uses the thermostat in place in the heating and cooling system and does not need an additional thermostat; and (5) provides an alarm when the heating or cooling systems are not functioning properly. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique furnace and air conditioner failure alarm apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.